"I feel like I'm on a date on The Bachelor."

As is often the case with any trip, we felt pressed for time in Spain. Although I would have loved to travel to other parts of the country (hello, Ibiza and Mallorca!) and neighboring Portugal, we decided to really only spend time in Madrid and Barcelona, in hopes of getting a closer look at the country's two most populous cities. We did, however, make a brief exception on...

Day 2

Toledo and Madrid, Spain

Highlights: Toledo Cathedral, Las Carboneras Flamenco Show

Even though we had barely seen any of Madrid, we scheduled a day trip to Toledo (through Julia Travel) for our second day in Spain. We opted to tour the city on our own, rather than have a tour guide all day, so we could explore at our own pace and delve into what we found interesting. We met the rest of the group at the Julia Travel office, hopped on a bus, and after a 45-minute drive and a quick stop at a touristy shop, we arrived in Spain's former capital city.

Toledo is a beautiful, medieval city (and UNESCO World Heritage site) perched on top of a large hill that overlooks the Río Tajo (River Tagus). It is also a city with a complex and interesting past, as it has been inhabited and heavily influenced by Christians, Jews, and Muslims that at times coexisted within the city walls. As you get lost wandering through the maze of cobblestone streets, you can spot evidence of this influence in churches and architecture, food and design. Vestiges of Roman aqueducts blend with Moorish arches while views of the countryside beyond conjure images of Don Quixote, leaving you with a rich understanding of this centuries-old city.

In order to get a quick overview, the first thing we did upon arrival was take a lap on the double-decker city tour bus. This tour, which was included in our day trip to the city and had English explanations of what we were seeing, was an excellent start to the day. We learned about the New Bisagra Gate (Puerta de Bisagra Nueva), the original gate to the city that features the city's coat of arms - a double-headed eagle.

Puerta de Bisagra Nueva

We decided to hop off the bus at the Plaza de Zocodover, the city's main square, and explore the winding, narrow streets that surround it. These streets were lined with countless restaurants and shops that sell swords, marzipan candies, and damascene ware, steel that is meticulously decorated with threads of woven gold and silver. Our first stop was perhaps the best one of the day - the enormous, breathtaking Toledo Cathedral. Wheat and I paid to go inside and it was truly worth every cent. Aside from impressive Gothic architecture, the cathedral boasts ornate gold ornamentation, countless sculptures, stained glass windows, and even its own art gallery.

Massive gold monstrance encrusted with rubies and emeralds.

Once we'd had our fill of the Cathedral, we met my parents for lunch at a nice place with a fixed-price menu. The guys had their first paella of the trip, but my personal highlight was the ice cream cone for dessert. After lunch, we decided to split up again and Wheat and I spent the next couple hours roaming the streets on what felt like a super romantic date (hence Wheat's quote that serves as the fitting title for this post). We stopped by the Church of Santo Tomé to see El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz, the most famous painting by El Greco (who spent much of his life in Toledo), and checked out a swordmaker's shop. We saw nuns making marzipan and listened to live music on the street. Most importantly, we got lost, hand-in-hand, and enjoyed our gorgeous surroundings. Bliss.

Cute recreation of nuns making marzipan.

Statue of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote

Eventually, we met my parents again at the main square and began our slow descent to the bottom of the hill. We had some time to kill before the bus picked us up, so we explored a nearby park and got a closer look at the city's famous gate. 

Once the bus arrived, it immediately took us to another touristy shop because they want ALL THE MONEY. It ended up being a pretty cool stop because Wheat got to hold a massive sword, we saw a damascene worker in action, and we finally tried a bit of the city's famous marzipan (mazapán).

When we finally arrived in Madrid, we made a quick pit stop at the adorable popsicle shop (Lolo Polos) next to our apartment and freshened up while enjoying the sunset from our rooftop. Although we were pretty tired after our full day in Toledo, we had scheduled a flamenco show that night through Julia Travel. So, we rested up, hopped in a taxi, and after a lot of frantic searching, finally found Las Carboneras, a little restaurant/theater that hosts nightly flamenco shows.

I know it sounds crazy, but this flamenco show (which included a drink) was honestly the highlight of Madrid for all four of us. Videos and pictures don't do it justice, but the energy and intensity of the dancers was absolutely incredible. Flamenco is a traditional, folkloric style of dance popularized in southern Spain. It is typically associated with gypsies and it has a haunting, but sexy appeal. The ridiculously talented guitarist and singers were complemented by the impassioned stomping of the four dancers that entranced us over the course of the hour-long show. The venue was small and intimate, which was perfect because we could clearly see the emotion in their faces and the beads of sweat fly off as they twirled. Guys, I can't explain it. You just have to see it. I think all four of us legitimately fell in love with a dancer by the end of the show.

With stomachs growling and stars in our eyes, we left Las Carboneras and made our way to the Mercado de San Miguel, an upscale, covered market nearby. Although it was midnight, the market was still bustling with young adults sipping sangria and indulging in local treats. My parents ordered some fancy olives and sea urchin while Wheat and I opted for our first Spanish churros and chocolate. Much more to come on that later...

Are you dying to go to Spain yet? Because I'm already dying to go back...

¡Hola, España!

As you've probably already guessed, it's going to take me roughly 2,389 days to blog about our recent trip to Spain. In other words, I better start now because I'm already starting to forget some of the magical details and place names.

My absolute least favorite part of traveling abroad (aside from the inexplicable lack of ice and proper soda) is the flight. This time around, our journey first took us from Indianapolis to Atlanta for a three-hour layover and Five Guys burgers and fries. We considered it our proper goodbye to greasy American food.

Our seven-and-a-half hour Delta flight to Madrid was alright, excluding the snug seat belts and the broken touch screen on the seatback in front of me. We were served two "meals" - dinner and breakfast - but we spent the bulk of the flight listening to Pod Save America and watching movies. No sleep, The Zookeeper's Wife, and Patriots Day later, we finally arrived in Spain's capital city on...

Day 1

Madrid, Spain

Highlights: Gran Vía, Airbnb hot tub

My parents, who were meeting us from Cincinnati, actually flew through New York City to Madrid. Their flight had a slight delay, so Wheat and I spent over an hour heroically fighting sleep in the baggage claim terminal before they showed up. Once all of our bags were collected, we hopped in a taxi and I did my best to mumble the address of our Airbnb in Spanish. The driver dropped us off in front of a locked, five-story building on a lively street in Malasaña, an area filled to the brim with coffee shops, tiny stores, bars, and restaurants. 

We had a few hours to wait before we were allowed to check in to the penthouse that we rented, so we set up shop at Café Calentito, which was conveniently located right next door. We ordered some toast, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and porras (thick churros) and passed the time at an outdoor table. Wheat and I figured out the metro system and used it to reach the Julia Travel tourism office. While there, we bought tourist cards that allowed us to bundle multiple attractions together for a discounted price.

Eventually, the owner of the Airbnb sent someone to let us in and show us the amenities in the apartment. Guys, as far as Europe goes, it was downright luxurious. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washing machine, a kitchen, a living room, remote control-operated blinds, and air conditioning in every room. Our host left us some treats, including breakfast pastries, orange juice, and beer. Oh, and the best part? A private hot tub and dining area on the roof that overlooked the entire city. Heaven.

By this point, we all desperately needed a nap, so we zonked out for a few hours before rousting for dinner. Since we were still recovering from jet lag, we decided to take it easy and walk to dinner at one of the many nearby restaurants. We stopped first at Pez Tortilla, a small, but apparently very popular tapas spot that specialized in tortillas and croquettes (croquetas). We couldn't find a table and my dad promptly disappeared in search of a bank to exchange money, so I took a stab at ordering and got an assortment of croquettes. They turned out to be spinach and cheese, pork, chicken curry, and ham. 

When my dad finally returned, we ventured toward Gran Vía, a bustling street of upscale shops and nightlife that is often referred to as "Spain's Broadway." It quickly lived up to its name when we noticed that The Lion King (or El rey león) was playing. After a little indecision, we settled on a restaurant called Don Jamón for dinner. Most of us ordered ham and cheese sandwiches (bocadillos) while my dad ordered an omelette of some kind. The food was just okay, but sitting at an outdoor table and soaking in the atmosphere served as the perfect introduction to Spanish nightlife.

We took our time as we walked back, stopping to enjoy various shops that were still open despite the late hour. Locals and tourists alike flooded the streets, looking for the perfect spot to eat or dance the night away. Once we finally reached home, we decided to hop into the hot tub for a soak and some incredible views of the city. In the distance, a massive fireworks display started going off while the laughter and singing of partiers on the streets below echoed up to us on the roof.

I think it was right about then that I realized that Madrid was gonna be just fine.

One last post before Spain overload.

Much to my dismay, we're back from Spain and mostly settled into our groove of work, chores, and Eastern Standard Time. I'll save the details for my upcoming Spain posts, but our trip was wonderful. Despite being reminded how rusty I've gotten with my Spanish (so much for that Bachelor's Degree), I had an incredible time challenging myself and exploring the country I've learned so much about with Wheat and my parents. More to come on that later...

For now, I'm going to share a couple awesome things we've done in Indianapolis in the last month or so. Have I mentioned that this blog is essentially a glorified photo album?

First up, concerts!

Shortly before our Iberian adventure, we spent an evening with John Mayer (and 20,000 other people) at Klipsch. Dawes opened the show nicely, but I was only there for the main event. As always, John didn't disappoint. For those of you who haven't seen him live, I highly recommend it. He seamlessly weaves between so many genres of music - blues, pop, rock, country - and he's truly one of the best living guitarists. He also has such an extensive discography that you never know what he might play at a particular show. We were treated to the following awesome setlist:

Full Band

Helpless (with Rolling Stones' "Miss You")

Moving On and Getting Over (with Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You")

Something Like Olivia

Who Says

Why Georgia/No Such Thing

Acoustic

In Your Atmosphere

Comfortable

Free Fallin' (Tom Petty cover)

John Mayer Trio with Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan

Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover)

Vultures

Who Did You Think I Was

Full Band

Queen of California

Rosie

In the Blood

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (with Prince's "The Beautiful Ones")

Waiting on the Day

Waiting on the World to Change

Encore

Born and Raised

Gravity

Never on the Day You Leave 

We happened to be there on the closing night of the tour, so he threw in a couple bonus songs, said a few special (humorous) words, and rocked extra hard for us. He even played an entire guitar solo using drum sticks instead of his fingers. Ridiculous.

Our (probable) last outdoor concert of the year was this past weekend when we saw Counting Crows and Matchbox 20 at Klipsch. Wheat is a big fan of Rob Thomas and I'm absolutely blown away by the longevity of both bands' careers and the impressive number of hits they've churned out over the years.

Counting Crows

Round Here

Hard Candy

Dislocation

Colorblind

Good Time

Recovering the Satellites

Miami

Washington Square

Goodnight L.A.

A Long December

Mr. Jones

Hanginaround (with Rob Thomas!)

Palisades Park

Rain King

Matchbox 20

Real World

Girl Like That

She's So Mean

Bent

Downfall (with Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door")

If You're Gone

Hand Me Down

How Far We've Come

Disease

Mad Season

English Town

Hang

Unwell

Back 2 Good

Push

Don't You (Forget About Me) (Simple Minds cover)

3 A.M.

Long Day

Bright Lights

...and finally! Cabrewing on the Canal with Yelp! Indy.

I should have blogged about this before our trip because this is honestly one of the best memories I've made since living in Indianapolis. When Yelp first announced they were hosting a tubing event on the canal, I jumped on it with both feet...and it's a good thing I did because the event filled up in less than 24 hours!

Basically, for a $10 donation that went toward canal beautification, we were given tubes to float down the portion of the canal that's in our backyard. Oh, and they fed us along the way. It was an absolute dream for this Indy-loving heart of mine.

We signed up for the first of two sessions, got in line, and after an easy check-in process, received wristbands and tubes. The weather was perfect, music was blasting (from both DJs and a steel drum band), and the canal water was surprisingly refreshing. Any time that my feet would graze the bottom of the canal with its sludge and shrubbery, I would shriek and try to ignore what kind of trash has made its way down there (thankfully, shoes were required). We just leisurely floated along, admiring the views of the city and the canal while passing numerous food and drink vendors.

When all was said and done, we had yeast donuts from Jack's Donuts, miniature pizzas from Wise Apple, s'mores rice krispies from 240sweet, sugar cream pie from Wick's Pies, and freeze pops. There were plenty of drink options - sangria, margaritas, beer, wine, etc. - and a clown was making balloon animals for people. Somehow, I also nabbed a precious flamingo beverage boat, a frisbee, a pair of sunglasses, and a mini towel. Oh, and we were allowed to keep the tubes.

It was the absolute perfect way to spend a Sunday and I'm really hoping they decide to do the event again next year. As if I needed another reason to love Indy...